mena_familyfandomcom-20200214-history
Mena Family Wiki
The Mena Family The history of the Mena family that dates back several generations. The family name is believed to have started in Spain and is now spread across several parts of Mexico and the United States. Background The surname Mena is a habitational name from the province of Burgos, Spain derived from the Old Spanish word "mena" and the Latin word "minae" meaning "battlement." https://www.houseofnames.com/mena-family-crest It is currently unknown as to who were the first people to use the Mena last name, but the Mena's come from Iberian and Anasazi Native American ancestors. Iberians are referred to as the waves of migrating Celtic peoples from the 8th to 6th century BC onward who settled heavily in northern and central Spain. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iberian Iberia is commonly referred to as Spain and Portugal. Ancestral Pueblo culture, also called Anasazi, is a prehistoric Native American civilization that existed from approximately AD 100 to 1600, centering generally on the area where the boundaries of what are now the U.S. states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah intersect. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ancestral-Pueblo-culture Settling in Mexico It is believed that a Mena descendant from Spain arrived in America as part of the conquest of America and Mexico in the 16th century. It is unknown exactly what year the person may have arrived or when this person decided to make Mexico a permanent home. Juan Mena Juan Mena, born May of 1916, was a Mexican farmer from the small town of Santiago Papasquiaro. Santiago Papasquiaro is located in the state of Durango, in northwest Mexico. He was a very hard working man who worked a small 10 acre farm by himself. Eventually he met Rita Mendoza, born August of 1921, who became his wife soon after. She was mainly a housewife. Together they had six children, Felix, Javier, Ofelia, Eduardo, Ana, and Ramon. The boys would all help out on the farm while the girls helped with house chores. The children would eventually grow up to move on to their own endeavors. Felix Mena Felix Mena was born on June 11th in 1938. He was the first born son of Juan Mena and Rita Mendoza. His childhood consisted of working on his father's farm collecting eggs, milking goats, and several other duties. He never attended any schooling in his life, he devoted his life to working on the farm and providing for his family the only way he knew how. One afternoon Felix was sent into the nearby town of Chinacates to retrieve some supplies. He came across a small general store where he walked in to buy himself a refreshment. There he met Bertha Martinez, born October 18th 1941, who was the daughter of the owners of the store. They spent months traveling back and forth visiting each other until they married in 1959. Felix left the farm life to be with Bertha and together they had eleven children. They are Emilio, Jose, Juan, Joaquin, Santos, Felipa, Magdalena, Guadalupe, Otilia, Maricela, and Socorro. They lived in the town of Chinacates for several years but eventually moved back to the farm where Felix was born because of the size of the family. Emilio Mena Emilio Mena was born on August 5th in 1963 in Santiago Papasquiaro, Durango. He was the fourth born child of Felix and Bertha. He was the first boy to be born. He spent his childhood like his father did, working the farm. But unlike his father he did attend school as a young child. He did not last very long in school because he would have too much responsibility with helping raise and provide for the family. The American Dream Emilio Mena was the first of his family to make his way to the United States of America. He had heard about America on the radio and how people would always refer to it as the land of opportunity. All he needed to do was to find out a way to cross the border. He met Remedios Favela, born September 1st 1960, when he attended elementary school for the brief time that he was there. She had mentioned to him one day in that she was going to move to the United States with her sisters and asked if he was interested in crossing the border with them. They became very close and in the summer of 1979 they were married. A year later they made their way to the United States and settled in Melrose Park, Illinois. There they had four children, Wilfredo, David, Ricardo, and Lizette. Emilio and Remedios eventually moved to Buford, Georgia and are owners of a small hispanic supermarket called Carniceria Mena. Emilio was fairly poor as a child and had many struggles. In many ways he has fulfilled the "American Dream" and currently resides very happily in Buford, Georgia where he owns his very own business with one of his sons, Wilfredo Mena. Children Emilio's children all currently reside in the United States. The oldest, Wilfredo Mena, born December 26th 1982 in Franklin Park, Illinois, co-owns the business and lives in the same town with his wife Janet Diaz-Mena. The second oldest, David Mena, born August 17th 1987, was the only child born outside the United States. He was born in the small town of Chinacates located in Durango, Mexico. He currently resides in Addison, Illinois with his wife, Adriana Mena. The third oldest son, Ricardo Mena, born August 3rd 1990 in Melrose Park, Illinois, also currently resides in Addison, Illinois, but did spend almost 6 years in Buford, Georgia when the business was first opened. The last and youngest child, Lizette Mena, was born on September 26th in 1995 and is the only daughter of the family. Conclusion The Mena Family stretches back several generations and hundreds of family members reside across North America; and it will continue to expand for generations to come. References Photos and videos are a great way to add visuals to your wiki. Add one below! Mena Family __FORCETOC__